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HealthSouth Korea

South Korea ends visa limits on Chinese travelers

February 10, 2023

Seoul's decision to end visa restrictions on Chinese travelers comes after lengthy COVID related tensions between the countries.

https://p.dw.com/p/4NJb7
A Chinese girl and a woman stand in front of a COVID-19 testing centre after arriving in South Korea.
South Korea to resume issuing short-term visas to Chinese travelers. Image: Kim Hong-Ji/REUTERS

South Korea has decided to resume issuing short-term visas to travelers from China after noting the improved COVID-19 situation in China.

Following an anti-virus meeting on Friday, the government decided to normalize short-term visa applications at its consulates in China from Saturday.

Testing requirements were maintained but officials said that those steps could later be relaxed depending on the developments of the virus.

The move marks the end of a long COVID related restriction that had sparked tensions with Beijing.

Seoul and Beijing at loggerheads

In December, China abruptly ended its stringent "zero-COVID" policy,  leading to a wave of infections.

This raised the prospect of millions of Chinese travelers making their way abroad for the first time in three years.

In January, while China battled a surge of COVID infection cases, Seoul stopped issuing most short-term visas.

Beijing called the move "discriminatory" and retaliated by  halting short-term visas for South Korean travelers.

This raised business concerns as South Korea depends heavily on exports to China.

Seoul defended their curbs saying that the spread of the virus in China was creating concern aver the possible emergence of new variants.

It also accused the Chinese authorities of not being transparent with their COVID data.

 

A noted drop in infection rate

South Korea's Vice Interior Minister Kim Sung-ho, who is in charge of disaster and safety management, said the move to lift restrictions came after the number of infections among Chinese arrivals dropped significantly.

When the curbs were first introduced in January, 20% of Chinese travelers to South Korea had tested positive.

Last week only 1.4% of Chinese travelers tested positive on arrival.

Other restrictions, including testing requirements continue to remain in place.

Travelers from China have to produce a negative test before departure and undergo a PCR test upon arrival in South Korea.

Those who test positive are to stay quarantined for a week.

ns/kb (Reuters, AP, AFP)